For some reason, inspiration seems to hit me in the shower. I don't have any idea why. I'll be washing away and all of a sudden I'll be humming a tune I've never heard before. OK, sometimes I have heard it before. But they're original often enough to be encouraging. Sometimes there are words to go with the tune. They may be part of the finished song, or they may just be placeholders to help with the scansion.
Usually the subject is something that has been on my mind for a while. It may be current events or something I've been reading about. Here's the most recent, inspired by my wife's current battle with cancer.
There is a place in Columbia The Center for Oncology And they've saved the life of many a fine soul And one of them was me
My mother always told me There was cancer in my genes My father had a large prostate gland And you all know what that means
Now the only thing a tumor needs Is a body to play host And the only time that it's satisfied Is when you've given up the ghost
Now mothers tell your children To do what I have done The doctors may just save the life Of your daughter or your son
I've got both eyes on the future And I'm moving on from here I'm looking forward to a life Where I don't have to fear
There is a place in Columbia The Center for Oncology And they've saved the life of many a fine soul And one of them was me
The first two verses and the "mothers tell your children" verse came to me in the shower. The rest I worked out over the next few days. Obviously the tune wasn't original this time. I forgot to mention that I also do a lot of parodies.